Abstract
What is the most beautiful experiment in physics? More than 200 readers replied when Robert Crease asked this question in May, and their top five choices include classic experiments by Galileo, Millikan, Newton and Thomas Young (see pp19–20). But uniquely among the top 10, the most beautiful experiment in physics – the double-slit interference experiment with electrons – does not have the name of an individual associated with it. Most discussions of double-slit experiments with particles refer to Feynman's quote in his 1963 lectures: ”[It] is absolutely impossible to explain in any classical way and has in it the heart of quantum mechanics. In reality, it contains the only mystery.“ But who actually carried out the experiment? Standard reference books offer no answer to this question but a search through the literature does reveal several unsung experimental heroes.
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